Sign up for our Free E-Newsletter and receive Product Information, Local Outing Information, Local Tournament Results, Upcoming Events and best of all information about FREE GOLF where you live. Register Now

In In the last installment of Wired4Winning, we discussed the concept of the five E’s that affect each and every shot: Equipment, Execution, Environment, Emotions and Expectations. I purposely saved the last two for Part 2, as they are indeed more complex to get your mind around however their impact on performance separate the champions from the “also rans.” If you accept the precept that performance equals potential minus interference, then it follows that eliminating self imposed interference is the most expedient path to high performance. You wouldn’t drive the Indy 500 with one foot on the break, but when it comes to emotions and expectations, that’s what many people with great potential do. As stated in Part 1, if you struggle to grasp the concept that you and you alone are in control, then you are doomed to a victim’s mentality.

4. EmotionsHas anyone ever made you angry? Has anyone ever made you sad? The answer to both of these questions is an emphatic NO! Only you can make you angry or sad or happy for that matter. Events happen and you choose how you are going to react to them. Understanding this basic principle is the first step to being the captain of your own ship. Once accepted this can be the most liberating concept of all. If we choose to believe that emotions just happen, then we will always have an Achilles heel and a crutch to blame our failures on. Lao-tzu said, “He who overcomes others has force; he who overcomes himself is strong.” I don’t profess that emotions are a bad thing, just the opposite in fact. If your natural style is to be quick to anger, fine, just understand how you can channel that anger to work for you in a positive way. A great example of this was the Tiger Woods of 2000. He would get angry at a bad shot, react and move on. He would reflect on the shot and he would not start walking to the next shot until he had cleared his mind of the outcome, this way all of his energy was able to be focused on the next shot. We can all think of several examples where players didn’t let go of the last shot or a bad break and it negatively affected the next shot and many times the entire round. The first thing we do when we start to work with a new client is give them an assessment that determines their natural way of reacting to situations, people and circumstances in order help them understand how to eliminate the self imposed interference. In other words, get them out of their own way. Remember, real glory springs from the silent conquest of ourselves.

5. ExpectationsMichael Jordan may have summed it up best, “you have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” The biggest self imposed interference is what I like to call the FUD factor: Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. These three have killed more shots than a pack of sophomores on spring break. How many times have you stood over a putt and felt a total calm knowing you were going to make it and did. By the same token how many times have you looked at a putt over and over and had no clue but putted it anyway and missed. We need to channel our positive expectations in order to enjoy success. Nick Faldo once shared with me, “the most important thing in strategy is the word ‘know.’ If a player has doubt or thinks the shot may be a bit risky then they probably won’t pull it off.”Of the five E’s this is probably the toughest for most people to truly understand and indeed cannot be given its total due in this small space. However, it is the root of every success story I’ve witnessed. Lacking a positive expectation creates more interference thus inhibiting potential than any other single factor. What I’m saying here is you’ll see it when you believe it! If you stand over a shot with negative thoughts, the outcome will usually support your thinking. Henry Ford described this perfectly when he said, “there are two types of people in this world, those that think they can and those that think they can’t, and they’re both exactly correct.”

Expect success and the outcome will pleasantly surprise you.

Whether its golf or football. Jim McMahon understands enjoying the game is most important!

Mr. Molden is a nationally recognized Performance Consultant / Sports Behaviorist and pioneer in the science and application of Psycho-ergonomics in both sport and business. He’s worked with, coached and interviewed hundreds of elite athletes, PGA Tour stars, top collegiate golfers, entertainers, high-profile business people and entrepreneurs. He invites your comments and questions. Please send them to Rich@Wired4Winning.com

Article Series

This article is part 2 of a 2 part series. Other articles in this series are shown below: